Karlton Bethea

DJ Mastiff,

I would advise not trying to make the perfect mix set, (not yet anyway). In my humble opinion, firstly make sure you work on the essential skill set you will need to one day make that perfect mix set. I know it seems that manual beat matching (beat matching by ear, not by sync button), music theory, and all that other boring stuff is obsolete in the age of the controller but trust me when I tell you, it will make a HUGH difference as you progress on “the journey”.
I liken it to building a house, if you don’t have a strong foundation eventually there will be problems which you will have to go back and fix later.
Secondly, learn to count if you have not already. I know, I know, we all know how to count to 4. But do you do it every time you play or listen to music? If not you should be, make it second nature.
Thirdly, make it your mission to “know your music”. Not just the title and artist, but what the breakdown of the song itself, its structure, how many bars is the intro, how many bars until your kick comes in, where is the build up, break down, where does the outro start and when should you begin your blend, what type of transition should you use to get to the next song.
Lastly, and most importantly. Record yourself when you play. This will help you to identify your mistakes and eventually get you to the point where you can make that perfect mix set.
Hope that helps, best of luck on your journey…

Karlton Bethea
aka “AntiQue”

“If Music Be The Food Of Love…Play On”
-Billy Shakespeare

Jacob,

I think (for what it’s worth), begin by trying to understand “why” you want to become a DJ and what type of DJ you want to be. Music is broad based..there are so many nucs and crannies! Is it the allure of playing the “Big Gig” in the “Big Room”, the adoration of the crowd, the money perhaps, the “cool factor”?
This is were I began and it has served me well. For me, it is bringing what it is that I love to listen to and believe in (most important), to my audience. Playing that track that most have never heard and vibin’ on their reaction to it. Playing a song from the days before “disco” was even a word and what there was was R&B and having someone ask me about the music I play, how do they get “my sound”. Of course it’s not my sound, it’s the sound of what I grew up on. It’s my interpretation of someone else’s sound.
I would say explore whether this is a passing fancy or a deep rooted passion (hopefully it’s the later!). If it is a passion, regardless of the motivation, then “Chive on bro”.

OBTW…for you old house heads out there, going to see Mark Farina in New Orleans on December 1oth. My buddy is doing his warm up set…I’m Amped!

Hope that helps Jacob,

Karlton Bethea
aka “AntiQue

“If Music Be The Food Of Love…Play On”
-Billy Shakespeare

Are you talking about kbs or Hz? If you are indeed talking about kbs, 320 is the best quality that you can download in MP3’s. Unfortunately with MP3’s you are not able to increase the kbs of a download. Quality of the track can’t be changed once it is downloaded. The quality is determined by the person who submits for download. For quality downloads, I would suggest a DJ pool such as MMP3, beatport, traksource, and many others. You can never be assured of the music quality of stuff you rip offline or get from your friends collections.

Hope that helps,

Karlton
AKA”AntiQue”

“IF Music Be The Food Of Love…Play On”
-Billy Shakespeare